The “Throwing” Process

Potters call making pottery on a spinning wheel “throwing” because it starts by throwing a mound of clay onto the center of the wheel.

To become adept at throwing, one usually needs to spend many hours making ugly horrible pots; months of making bad pots; and years of making progressively better pots. And it’s not like riding a bike–you have to keep practicing!

Needless to say, this is not the best technique to introduce to new students– although it is the first thing they want to learn!

The following photos show the process of making a Japanese Ikebana vase.

Most important step–“Centering” the clay so there are no wobbles.

After centering the clay it is “opened”.

“Pulling” up the sides

Correct hand position is important

Smoothing the clay

Trimming the edge

Hi fire glazes are fired at about 2,400 degrees!

After first “bisque” firing. Step 1: Pouring glaze into the vase.

After completly covering the inside, the outside is dipped in the glaze, then fired again.